2025 world cup - france option....

[winnyason]

Obvious its looking more likely usa won't happen. Big sticking point with france is government and council support plus tv coverage.

Stadium wise it could happen 

* pernignan - gilbert brutus and possible aime giral.

* toulouse - Ernest walton, main soccer ground, colombiers. 

* avignon - parc de sports 

* narbonne - parc de sports 

* albi - stade municipal 

* lyon - matmut stadium

* toulon -  rugby stadium 

* montpellier - altrad stadium 

* carcasonne - stade albert domec 

Optimistic yes but hell if we putting event in usa then is france that bad. Have final in toulouse major ground. 

[barnyia]

France fédération has Just about enough money to organize an under 13s competition. 

[Damien]

I'd love to see a World Cup in France. If the French Rugby League spoke to the French Government could they not get them to underwrite it? It would be a fraction of what they have given to the RU World Cup.

[winnyason]

16 minutes ago, barnyia said:

France fédération as Just about enough money to organize an under 13s competition. 

Yeah thought as much would local council bid for games or be no real interest 

[DoubleD]

16 minutes ago, barnyia said:

France fédération as Just about enough money to organize an under 13s competition. 

Exactly. It would take a private investor to do it, similar to USA. The FFR13 couldn’t even organise hosting a game against NZ this year. Getting them to arrange a World Cup is crazy

[Odsal Outlaw]

If they did (big if) you could play opening england home game at wembley and likely get a sizeable crowd.

Although I think you’d get a sizeable ravelling England support to France also.

Anyway, as above posts - not sure they can do it!!! Also I still like to dream US will happen!

[JM2010]

It would be great if it could happen though. I think the French fans would come out to support these matches and there would be loads of British fans who'd make the trip.

If it did get announced I'd definitely start planning a trip

[Mr Plow]

It’s been discussed on here before about France hosting 2029 or 2033. Didn’t the French government day they would invest x amount into RL after Catalans won the CC? 

But anyway, does anyone know what’s happening with 2025? Has the USA and Canada been stripped of it?

[roughyedspud]

53 minutes ago, winnyason said:

Obvious its looking more likely usa won't happen. Big sticking point with france is government and council support plus tv coverage.

Stadium wise it could happen 

* pernignan - gilbert brutus and possible aime giral.

* toulouse - Ernest walton, main soccer ground, colombiers. 

* avignon - parc de sports 

* narbonne - parc de sports 

* albi - stade municipal 

* lyon - matmut stadium

* toulon -  rugby stadium 

* montpellier - altrad stadium 

* carcasonne - stade albert domec 

Optimistic yes but hell if we putting event in usa then is france that bad. Have final in toulouse major ground. 

It's about time France or NZ stepped up imo....so yeah if the USA falls through then yeah give it France

[Just Browny]

I would love to see this happen, but have my doubts the resourcrs are there. You would have to have matches in Paris. A France-PNG and England-NZ double-header in Paris to open would be great.

[JonM]

53 minutes ago, Mr Plow said:

But anyway, does anyone know what’s happening with 2025?

This is rugby league. We don't even know whether England will have any games in 2019.

[17 stone giant]

I think that every northern hemisphere world cup should be jointly hosted by France, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (along with England). How else are you going to develop rugby league in those countries?

It seems madness to me that England alone will host the 2021 world cup. Why can't Scotland play their three group games actually in Scotland? Likewise Wales in Wales, France in France? How are you going to grow the sport and develop it in those countries, if their home crowd never gets to see them play?

I understand the issue over devolved money and why it is that the RFL are required to spend the money for 2021 only in England. That's fair and logical. However, why can't the RFL say that they will accept less money from the 'English government', because actually they don't just want to hold the event solely in England. Instead of taking the easy route of accepting the English only money, they could accept less, but then go and speak to the Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and French governments, in an attempt to get some money off of them for being included as part of the world cup. Hopefully the money from those four would make up for the loss of some of the English money. You could then host a tournament that actually includes the countries that you are supposed to be trying to develop rugby league in.

For me, it just seems as though rugby league is kind of stuck in no mans land. It seems to want to try and give the impression that it's popular enough to hold a world cup and that it has all these different countries playing the sport, but then when it comes to actually hosting a world cup, it retreats into its shell. Where is the ambition? What better chance is there of getting a crowd in those countries, than for a world cup game?

They're going for the safe option again. They're going to play the matches mostly in the heartlands, which means a load of regular RL fans going along to watch Wales vs Fiji in Warrington, while most people in Wales take absolutely no notice of the whole thing. How and when is the sport ever going to break out of that cycle?

[damp squib]

44 minutes ago, 17 stone giant said:

I think that every northern hemisphere world cup should be jointly hosted by France, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (along with England). How else are you going to develop rugby league in those countries?

It seems madness to me that England alone will host the 2021 world cup. Why can't Scotland play their three group games actually in Scotland? Likewise Wales in Wales, France in France? How are you going to grow the sport and develop it in those countries, if their home crowd never gets to see them play?

Because the money that the government committed to the World Cup was part of the Northern Powerhouse funding. So in fact it's not even an England WC, more like a Northern England WC. There'll be no Bristols this time around.

[Clogiron]

5 minutes ago, damp squib said:

Because the money that the government committed to the World Cup was part of the Northern Powerhouse funding. So in fact it's not even an England WC, more like a Northern England WC. There'll be no Bristols this time around.

Buyoff money to keep the uppity natives quiet.

[westlondonfan]

I like the idea but maybe it is a bit early at this stage? I would like to see Toulouse in the Super League and a couple more French clubs in the championship first . Then they might be better placed to capitalise if it turned out to be a big success.

[Big Picture]

5 hours ago, 17 stone giant said:

I think that every northern hemisphere world cup should be jointly hosted by France, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland (along with England). How else are you going to develop rugby league in those countries?

It seems madness to me that England alone will host the 2021 world cup. Why can't Scotland play their three group games actually in Scotland? Likewise Wales in Wales, France in France? How are you going to grow the sport and develop it in those countries, if their home crowd never gets to see them play?

I understand the issue over devolved money and why it is that the RFL are required to spend the money for 2021 only in England. That's fair and logical. However, why can't the RFL say that they will accept less money from the 'English government', because actually they don't just want to hold the event solely in England. Instead of taking the easy route of accepting the English only money, they could accept less, but then go and speak to the Scottish, Welsh, Irish, and French governments, in an attempt to get some money off of them for being included as part of the world cup. Hopefully the money from those four would make up for the loss of some of the English money. You could then host a tournament that actually includes the countries that you are supposed to be trying to develop rugby league in.

For me, it just seems as though rugby league is kind of stuck in no mans land. It seems to want to try and give the impression that it's popular enough to hold a world cup and that it has all these different countries playing the sport, but then when it comes to actually hosting a world cup, it retreats into its shell. Where is the ambition? What better chance is there of getting a crowd in those countries, than for a world cup game?

They're going for the safe option again. They're going to play the matches mostly in the heartlands, which means a load of regular RL fans going along to watch Wales vs Fiji in Warrington, while most people in Wales take absolutely no notice of the whole thing. How and when is the sport ever going to break out of that cycle?

Of course they're going for the safe option.  Northern hemisphere RL is the poor cousin of other sports and has to make do until such time as it finds a game changer and gets out of that straitjacket.

[Number 16]

France for 2025 could work if the will was there. 

[Lobbygobbler]

France played a test up north near Lille a few years ago and got over 11k against Wales. Worth having a pool up there

[17 stone giant]

8 hours ago, damp squib said:

Because the money that the government committed to the World Cup was part of the Northern Powerhouse funding. So in fact it's not even an England WC, more like a Northern England WC. There'll be no Bristols this time around.

Thanks for the clarification. My point still stands though. If the RFL and rugby league as a sport, are serious about expanding the game in countries like Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and France, then surely they have to take the world cup to those places. Even if it's only the three matches that those countries play in their respective groups. If you just take the easy option of the governments Northern Powerhouse money, then sure you can put on your world cup in the north, but is that going to do anything to attract fans in the countries that I've mentioned?

Since it's only three years until 2021, and because the northern powerhouse money has already been sorted out, then I'd say leave it as it is for the next world cup. However, if the 2025 world cup also ends up in Europe, then they absolutely need to share it between those nations that they are trying to develop. To not do that is basically admitting that you're not serious about expansion, and that you only regard those teams as filler so that you can pretend you have enough teams to hold a viable world cup.

[langpark]

4 hours ago, Lobbygobbler said:

France played a test up north near Lille a few years ago and got over 11k against Wales. Worth having a pool up there

Was actually in Lens.

 

 

I really dont know how anyone can say a WC in USA would be feasible yet a WC in France wouldnt be! 

[Odsal Outlaw]

I wonder if a half way house could be a France & Wales WC, could get away with England games being sort of local and drawing a good crowd.  

And the reason US ‘could’ be more feasible is simply investment. 21k I’m Denver shows potential.